Park88
PARK88, the captivating musical marriage between award winning, gritty-voiced pianist Rich Wyman and singer-songwriter-storyteller Lisa Needham. This soul-stompin’ piano and vocally driven duo is a high-spirited vivacious live act that received standing ovations on their tour with the Grammy Award-winning Gipsy Kings across the USA and Canada.
Performing in theater and symphony halls from The Beacon Theater in NYC and Ravinia Festival in Chicago to La Maison Symphonique in Montreal, they also rocked the prestigious ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival and The Folk Alliance International Conference. Recently the duo signed a deal in the USA with Song Stew Records and InGrooves distribution and a two album deal with CRS Records for all of Europe and are currently booking a European tour for Fall 2020.
Initially coming together in New York City—as Wyman and Needham supported their musical endeavors as a bike messenger and singing waitress—the pair began gaining a steady recognition for their talent and performing at some of the city’s biggest venues.
Unexpectedly invited to Park City, Utah by a friend, Needham and Wyman headed off for what would become a life-altering vacation. Happening upon a neglected piano at a local restaurant Wyman began performing for fun and became an instant hit. The owner offered him a job on the spot, doubled his pay within a year and watched as crowds and local media coverage piled on the praise. The pair soon relocated permanently to Park City and have called it home ever since.
Shortly afterwards Needham and Wyman found themselves making the acquaintance of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eddie Van Halen while he was visiting Park City. Like so many others, the guitar icon also became a fan and invited them out to his 5150 Studio in Los Angeles. Along with Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones engineer) they spent several years creating music together and shopping the material. Using the tracks Van Halen performed on and Johns produced, as well as adding new songs, Wyman created his solo album Fatherless Child, and, in another unexpected twist, found the release storming the charts in Europe and opening the doors to years of touring some of that continent’s biggest stages.
The creative marriage of Lisa Needham and Rich Wyman’s songwriting, harmonies, and virtuosic piano playing is a crystal clear testament to the bond they share on and off the stage.